(Newser)
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The world's mega-rich are beyond guard dogs and fences in their quest for home security these days—and even panic rooms are old hat. So what's new? Try infrared cameras that can detect a human heat signature at 1,000 yards in the bushes. Or face/voice/behavioral recognition systems that replace front-door keys. Or devices that suck clean air into a room in case of a dirty bomb. Or ... well, read Forbes' article. The trick, it seems, is in selling it: A security firm told billionaire John DeJoria "that every now and again you get a real kook, and what if they came to your home and tried to do something stupid?" says DeJoria. So now he has security "similar to that of the White House."

To be fair, panic rooms are still in vogue—they're just more high-tech. A prominent Florida author whose house is filled with motion and heat sensors has a 2,500-square-foot master suite that can be locked down at the flick of a button. A Miami compound that traded last year for $47 million includes a safe room fully stocked with wine cellar, ventilation, and generator. And an LA-based firm called Strategically Armored and Fortified Environments (SAFE) can build bunkers up to 30 stories underground—in case of natural or nuclear catastrophe. Owner Al Corbi estimates that with sustainable food supplies, you could live down there for two or three generations: "They would be the new Adam and Eve, essentially, who would start up everything again."

Not surprised. In Latin America, which the USA is more and more coming to resemble, kidnapping the mega-wealthy for ransom is extremely common, and they mostly live in fortresses and hire armies of private security guards. This is what happens when you have a society with huge gaps between rich and poor, and steadily decreasing chances of upward mobility.